alko tow bar

[lp4967]

Is it true would should have an alko towbar.

We are in the process of changing our caravan and were told me the dealer we should have an alko towbar and this would stop the squeaking noises

 

[ALH]

If you have an Al-ko stabiliser fitted you should have an Al-ko towball, if you have a bolt on type. Otherwise a swan neck is fine.

However this won't guarantee that you won't get any squeaks or other noises. The important thing is to make sure that the ball is free from paint, grease, rust or anything else and is as clean and shiny as you can get it. Also make sure the inside of the coupling is also clean. If you have had problems it might be worth changing the friction pads too.

Al

 

[Guest]

The main issue is that virtually all new vans have an ALKO type stabiliser built in to the tow hitch. In order to allow the arms of the stabiliser to engage properly there needs to be greater clearance around the towball than on non ALKO fitted tow hitches. Again, virtually all new towbars and hitches are already of this type. If your exisiting towball is detachable then you can easily replace it with a ALKO acommodating type. If it is a fixed swan neck type then you need to check that the distance between the bend and the tow ball itself is long enough to allow the ALKO stabiliser to work correctly. It maybe this is where the delaer has expressed concern.

As mentioned by tohers the squeaks and groans are usually the result of dirt on the friction pads inside the tow hitch. These can be either cleaned or replaced, but if your towball is dirty, greasy, rusty or scored, then the 'repair' will not last too long.